Less than most people expect. Carriers work from the total-to-HDL ratio rather than the total figure, and treated cholesterol with a good ratio frequently reaches preferred rates.
A total cholesterol of 240 tells an underwriter almost nothing on its own. The same number with an HDL of 70 and with an HDL of 30 describe two different risks.
The ratio is the number
Most carriers use the total cholesterol to HDL ratio — total divided by HDL. It is the standard cardiovascular risk convention and it is what moves a health class.
Total 240 with HDL 60 gives a ratio of 4.0. Total 240 with HDL 30 gives 8.0. The second is a materially worse file on an identical total. This is why people with an alarming top-line number and good HDL are so often surprised by their offer.
Being treated helps
A statin prescription does not, on its own, produce a rating at most carriers. Underwriters read the current lab result and the evidence of management. A treated ratio of 4.0 is a treated ratio of 4.0.
An untreated ratio of 7.5, with a prescription in the pharmacy record that is not being filled, is the worse file — a diagnosed condition with no evidence of control.
What sits alongside it
Cholesterol with nothing attached is a mild file. Cholesterol plus blood pressure plus a raised build score is where ratings appear. The detail is on high cholesterol and in our guide to treated versus untreated.
The full treatment of this topic is on High cholesterol.